SvobodaToday

VISUAL REPORTS

In his first liturgy as leader of the new Ukrainian national Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Epifaniy urged Ukrainians to unite and pray for peace in the country. The speaker of the Ukrainian parliament confirmed on December 17 that the Patriarch has been invited to address the chamber.

In her inaugural speech on December 16, President-elect Salome Zurabishvili cited the country’s strategic partnership with the U.S., and vowed to reconcile political divisions and deepen ties with NATO and the European Union. Scuffles broke out in the village of Mukuzani as protesters tried to reach Telavi, where the ceremony was held.

OTHER NEWS

The Duma is reviewing a bill that seeks to ensure the autonomous operation of the Russian segment of the Internet should Western nations seek to cut off access to foreign servers. A note accompanying the draft references “the aggressive nature” of the U.S. national cybersecurity strategy and its accusations against Russia of cyberattacks.

Against a backdrop of sanctions and cyberthreats, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has signed a decree ordering state-run companies to produce plans within the next 60 days to switch to domestic software. At least half of the firms are expected to have switched over by 2021. (in Russian, Current Time TV)

A court in Moscow has rejected a 1-million-ruble libel suit filed by the head of Russia's National Guard, Viktor Zolotov, against opposition politician and anticorruption activist Aleksei Navalny, ruling that the suit contains discrepancies contradicting Russia's Civic Procedural Code.

Speaking to the state-run Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, Russian Foreign MInister Sergei Lavrov said that official recognition by Moscow of the so-called People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in Ukraine would ruin relations with Kyiv. He added that Moscow has no intention of fighting with Ukraine, which he said is run by a “neo-Nazi regime.” Lavrov alleged that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is planning “a provocation” near the border with Crimea for the end of December, when the 30-day martial law regime is set to expire. (Russian Service)

Moscow has welcomed a decision by the organizers of the World Economic Forum to allow the participation of Russian businessmen at the event. Russian billionaires Oleg Deripaska, Viktor Vekselberg, and the head of the state-controlled bank VTB Andrei Kostin were subjected to U.S. sanctions earlier this year.

A Russian court has accused two sailors who previously served on the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov of stealing and selling 400 radio components containing precious metals. Local media reports that other sailors who served on the country’s single aircraft carrier have been involved in traffic accidents and accused of drug trafficking. (Russian Service)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed concern over the rising popularity of rap music among Russian youth, stating at a meeting with cultural advisers at the Kremlin on December 15 that it should not be banned, but "directed."

A Ukrainian air force pilot was killed when his Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet crashed during a landing attempt on December 15 following a routine flight to its base in the northern region of Zhytomyr. An investigation into the crash is under way.

Armenia's Central Election Commission has confirmed the landslide victory of acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian's My Step alliance in the December 9 snap parliamentary elections with over 70 percent of the vote. Earlier unconfirmed results had shown the bloc winning about 60 percent of the vote.

Kosovo’s decision to transform its lightly armed security force into a full-fledged army is "irreversible," the nation's president said as he departed for UN talks on the move that has angered Kosovar Serbs and neighboring Serbia.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov says U.S. F-16 fighter jets are the best choice to replace the Balkan NATO member’s aging fleet of Soviet-designed MiG-29s. The government has budgeted 900 million euros ($1 billion) for the purchase of at least eight fighter jets.

Police in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, detained several activists and journalists for a second day on December 17, as demonstrators attempted to gather to commemorate people killed by police during oil worker protests in the western town of Zhanaozen on December 16, 2011, and during mass anti-Soviet demonstrations in Almaty in December 1986.